The Trouble With Time
by Like Stars in the Sky
Summary: A journey across time and a wicked new enemy bring two so similar, but very different people together on a quest that may span even time itself. ON HIATUS-Alternative Redo In Progress
1. Prologue

**Prologue: Calling the Shikon**

Pain was all she knew at that moment. Not the physical kind, the bottled-up heart-breaking kind that you take and you push into the far reaches of your heart, and then you lock it inside an unbreakable cage made of diamond. The kind of thing that can only be cracked, broken, or penetrated by one of its own: another diamond. Then, after that, the impenetrable cage filled with the deepest, despairing feelings inside _her_ heart that she feared too much to let escape was surrounded by a block of ice so thick, so _eternal_ and magically bonded, that not even the sun's heat could melt it. Suffice to say, it could not be broken into from the outside.

However, this pain, this bitingly agonizing hurt that made even her body shake and convulse with its force, was trying its damnedest to escape. For even though it had been locked away into a place that no one could ever find because it was so deep and dark and depressing and absolutely _suffocating_ to anyone who dared to try for it, the hidden emotion itself could leave and reenter its prison at its very own will. And though this human tried, she could not fight it off, could not force it into the back of her heart where all possibility of reaching the outside world at that time was squelched. And, though she knew holding in her pain was killing her heart from the inside out, she could not bring herself to stop hiding it for fear that someone would see.

She wanted no one to know of it, and yet, still she yearned for it to be revealed, while her heart ached for comfort and solace. Though she wished to be by herself and endure the pain, she hated to be alone, because being alone reminded her of why her heart yearned for the comfort of another. For in its truest form, loneliness can cause a broken heart faster than love lost, because for those that have loved and lost, the memory of that love remains. But for those who have never felt that kind of love, loneliness reigns supreme and the heart craves the love it never had.

And so, the girl that was Tsubaki reborn craved something that should never be hers, the legendary object which could grant immeasurable power to its possessor. It was known as the _Shikon no Tama_, and Sei's achingly lonely heart wished to fill the desolate void inside her with the power of its light. She wanted to own it, to hold it in her palm and feel the sheer warmth of the item's power filling her to the brim as the icy loneliness was shoved out of her heart. She wanted it. She needed it. Had for a long, long time. Yet, it had been lost to time centuries ago, after the girl, Kagome, and her misfit friends accomplished their goal to defeat the dark hanyou known as Naraku.

But Sei knew what to do. She knew how to bring the jewel to her, no matter where in time the jewel had hid itself. Yes, with the scientific art known as Alchemy, combined with her dark priestess power, Sei would soon be holding the Shikon no Tama in her hands. Soon, she would feel its more than magnificent power flowing through her veins to drive away the bitterness that rested itself in her heart.

First, though, she had to draw the symbol, that strange alchemic drawing that served as the equation for alchemy. And draw she did, only stopping her madly preoccupied circles and symbols once the elaborate image was complete. Afterwards, Sei grinned at her work. It was perfectly drawn, she noted as she retrieved her dagger from the nearby side table. Slicing open her hand with only a small grimace of pain, Sei allowed the drops of her blood to flow, falling onto the circle. Placing her cut palm flat against the circle's outer design, she held her other hand in front of her in a fist, with her index and middle fingers pointed directly upward. The circle glowed with an otherworldly light as Sei began chanting the incantation, calling the Shikon to her.

The eerie light engulfed the entire room, pulsing in its mesmerizing call. After a few moments, Sei could feel the jewel's pulsing power rising from its place in time, itching to meet the one that called to it almost hungrily. She almost had it, and that realization had Sei's heart beating faster than ever as she pushed more of her power into the circle and the chant she was reciting louder than ever. She grinned in anticipation as it came closer, but then there was a flash of power from the jewel, from its guardian. The light shifted slightly as Sei struggled to keep up the pull, fought not to let go of the power heading ever closer through time.

The guardian was fighting, Sei knew, and part of the jewel didn't want to come. It was urging to heed the call of its guardian, despite Sei's own call. She struggled, warring with the power and trying her damnedest to bring it into the circle, to bring it to her. It pulled away, fighting her, and Sei screamed in pain as the shock of power hit her. Her hand released the circle, and she flew back into the far wall, just as the light dissipated from the alchemic circle.

'_So close!' _Sei thought, her vision fading as she fell into the realm of unconsciousness.

**oOoOo**

Pain was everything. It was all she knew within the blackness of the void which had sucked her in. The foreign but slightly familiar power of the being attacking Kagome fluctuated around her, and she felt her body arch and cringe at the feel of the pain. She felt the warmth of the jewel resting around her neck, sensed the way it was pulling away from her, bit by bit.

Kagome could see nothing but the power surrounding her, pulling her farther and farther away from her friends, calling her, calling for _it_. The power was forceful and angry and demanding in its desperate call, and the jewel in Kagome's possession responded by pulling her further towards it. It was as if the jewel wanted to go, and yet the half that remained pure didn't want to part with the priestess from the future. Kagome could sense the way the darkness within the jewel was urging it to heed the call, to go to the possessor of the dark, tainted, confused power drawing them in. It was after the jewel, Kagome realized, and the part of her that was still conscious and barely in control fought it.

'_No,' _Kagome thought, though at the moment, she was unsure if she was actually thinking, or if somehow, her thoughts had vocalized themselves. _'You can't have it! Give it back!'_

Kagome cried out in pain when the power fluctuated angrily in the darkness around her, reaching up to clasp her shaking hand around the _Shikon_, which was hot against her hand with the powers both inside and out warring against each other. Her hand started shaking more fiercely, and it was a moment before she realized that it was the jewel shaking, not Kagome herself.

'_No!'_ she cried in the darkness, tightening her grip on the jewel. _'Let go! No! You can't have it! __**Let go!**__'_

**End Prologue**


	2. New Chapter 01

This is a rewrite of chapter one of **Wait**, but it now has a different name. It starts differently, but there are a few scenes that remain virtually unchanged. **oOoOo** This is what separates scenes, and lets you know when there is going to be a POV change. The POV will usually only pass between the main characters, villains included. So, you should know who it is without having to be told. Oh, and one more thing…

**Disclaimer:** I don't own very many things, and sadly enough, **Fullmetal Alchemist** and **Inuyasha** are not among them.

**Chapter One: Premonition**

_"Master Sergeant Fuery, during your last physical it was discovered you have Athletes Foot, and we now believe it is affecting your brain."–Riza Hawkeye (Fullmetal Alchemist)_

Arranging the last of her belongings into her pack, Kagome swung it around onto her shoulder. With a sigh, she stood from her previous position of kneeling on the floor of her cheap hotel room. The sun was already high in the sky, and Kagome had a lot of walking to do that day, just like every other day since she'd been trapped in the wrong time period. Germany in 1923 was not the ideal place to be, not when Kagome knew what was coming within the next few years. Just knowing about how many people would die, the torture they would go through, made her sick. She wanted to go home, and the best way to do that was to get going so she had a chance of making the boat to Japan in time. It was roughly two weeks until the ship set sail, and Kagome barely had enough time to get there as it was. If she wasted too much time on the way, she'd never make it to the ship in time.

Pulling the door shut behind her, Kagome headed down the hallway toward the front office, to turn in her room key. The attendant sitting at the desk looked up at Kagome when she stopped in front of it, and relief swelled inside her when she noticed that it was a blond female around her own age. The man at the desk who'd greeted her the night before had really given her the creeps with his constant staring and disturbing red-brown eyes. It had reminded her of some of the demons she'd faced back in the feudal era, before she'd been transported through to the time period that was literally the calm before the storm that became World War II and the Holocaust.

Holding up the key, Kagome gave the girl a kind, polite smile. "I'm here to turn in my room key before I leave."

"Alright then," the blue-eyed girl said, grinning as she reached out to take the key from Kagome's outstretched hand. "Did you have a pleasant stay?"

"Oh it was wonderful!" Kagome exclaimed, dropping her key into the girl's hand. "Best bed I've slept in for days!"

The attendant's smile didn't fade with Kagome's words, letting the girl know that she hadn't caught on to what Kagome wasn't saying, that she hadn't slept in a bed the last few days. "Well, I'm glad to hear that," she told Kagome, placing the key into an out of sight area behind the desk. "Feel free to come back any time!" she exclaimed, holding out her hand for Kagome to shake in a friendly gesture.

Deciding that it couldn't hurt, Kagome accepted the hand offered to her. A brief shock touched Kagome's senses, and images flew behind her eyes, one of the premonitions she'd started getting since entering this time period. She saw a rather large ship, and in the boarding line stood the very girl in front of her. What shocked Kagome the most was the male standing in line beside the girl. It was the very same one who'd creeped her out the night before, only he looked happier somehow, and he was holding hands with the blond girl. Kagome couldn't quite see a full view of her face, but it looked as if they were a couple going on a trip.

Gasping, Kagome abruptly pulled her hand back, away from the girl's grip. "Are you alright? Is something wrong?" the blond attendant asked, and a worried light entered her bright blue eyes.

Smiling kindly, Kagome waved off the concerns. "Oh, I'm fine! Bye, now!"

Readjusting the strap of her backpack, Kagome turned and left the building, in a rush to get on with the long walk ahead of her. It wasn't overly hot that day, and Kagome was exceedingly grateful for that as she walked along beside the road. About ten minutes later, Kagome's thoughts flew back to the vision she'd received in the hotel.

'_I wonder what that vision was for?'_ Kagome wondered to herself as she walked along. _'It's certainly never been completely random before, at least, not so far.'_

She'd only had the odd premonition ability for the few months that had occurred since her entry into that time, but Kagome hadn't yet had a vision that meant nothing to her. _'Maybe I was meant to see that the creepy man isn't all that bad. I mean, they looked happy enough, and I didn't see anything in the vision that looked like it needed changing.'_

Nodding her head, Kagome accepted the explanation she'd come up with for her vision and pushed all doubts to the back of her mind. Another ten minutes later, Kagome caught a glimpse of a truck coming down the road. Seeing an opportunity, Kagome held out her arms and waved to the oncoming truck, hoping she'd be able to flag them down for a ride. As they drew nearer, Kagome grinned happily at noticing the way the driver was slowing down. When the truck finally came to a stop on the road beside her, Kagome's grin widened and she waved jovially at the driver and the curious gypsies staring at her from the back.

"You heading to the carnival, Miss?" he asked, speaking around the cigarette in his mouth.

'_Carnival, huh?'_ Kagome thought to herself, mulling it over in her mind. _'Well, why not? It's on the way, so it wouldn't hurt to stop by for a bit.'_ Kagome nodded at the man a moment later, having made her decision. "Yes, please!"

He pointed toward the back of the truck, gesturing to the gypsies that were staring curiously at Kagome. "Well, hop on in then, if you don't mind sitting with gypsies!"

"Thanks!" Kagome gave the man another happy, good-natured grin and rushed around to climb up into the back.

**oOoOo**

Crashing, Ed decided, was far from fun, especially when you had somewhere you needed to be. He couldn't exactly blame it on anyone but himself, though, considering he'd been the one to drive the car straight into a tree. He knew exactly what Winry would say if she were there to see it, too. She'd yell, _"Edward, you idiot! Can't you pay attention to where you're going for ten seconds? It's bad enough already that you destroy my automail, but now you've moved on to destroying cars, too!"_ and then, she'd hit him over the head with the largest wrench within reach of her hands. Or, something like that anyway. The thought alone of Winry and Al and everyone on the other side of the gate sent a pang of hurt and longing through his chest. So, Ed pushed away the feelings that wouldn't help much for the time being and settled for trying to wave down the truck coming down the road. It would probably be their only chance for a ride to the carnival and to the rocket launch Alfons needed to be at.

"Hey!" Ed called loudly, waving his arms to catch the attention of the truck coming down the road. "Hey stop!" The coughing that came from Alfons at that moment sounded rough, and in response, Ed turned to look at him with a worried look on his face. "You okay, Alfons?"

Alfons stopped coughing and smiled at Ed, moving the hand covering his mouth down to rest lightly over his chest. "It's just a little cold, that's all."

Alfons' gaze moved past Ed as the truck came nearer, slowing in speed. Ed turned around to watch with relief at not having to walk as the truck slowed to a stop directly in front of them. "Going to the carnival?" the driver asked with a friendly grin.

"We sure are!" Ed replied with a grin of his own.

"Hop in!" said the driver, pointing towards the back of the truck with his thumb. "If you don't mind sitting with gypsies, we're on our way to the carnival, too!"

Picking up his suitcase, Ed went around to the back of the truck and climbed over, with Alfons hot on his heels. Once they'd settled down, the truck started moving again, and Ed glanced nervously around him at the girls, who were all staring at them. He counted nine girls altogether, though only eight of them were gypsies. The last one, curiously enough, looked foreign. If he had to guess, Ed would say she'd probably came from somewhere near Asia, maybe Japanese or something. But Ed couldn't really focus on wondering why she was in Germany, of all places, at the moment. He was too busy blushing at all the stares he was getting from the gypsies, all eight of them.

**oOoOo**

"So, what kind of a show are you ladies setting up?" asked the blond boy with longer hair, blushing, and Kagome was brought out of her thoughts of home.

_'They must not have much interaction with girls. They almost remind me of schoolboys!' _Kagome concluded then, giggling quietly to herself as she watched the boys' embarrassment and obvious lack of female communication skills.

"You name it," one of the gypsies told him leaning in closer, causing him to gasp and jump a little as his blush seemed to deepen. "Singing, theatre…"

Kagome giggled again at his awkwardness, covering her mouth with her hand. The other boy who'd been quiet so far spoke up, looking at her. "I'm Alfons," he said, holding out his hand toward her. "What's your name?"

Kagome smiled politely and reached out her hand to take his. "Kagome!"

Just as she'd said her name, Kagome was shocked as the truck hit a bump in the road and sent her careening off to the side, right into the other boy's lap. It was her turn to blush now. As she'd been about to shake hands with the one called Alfons, the jolt sent her hand flying into the other boy's face when she fell on him, and Kagome just knew he would feel that later. It might even bruise, which brought a small bought of guilt on Kagome's part. The movement was about equal to a slap, albeit a light one. What shocked her most was the telltale shock of energy that flashed between them when her hand fell almost roughly against the somewhat smooth skin of his cheek.

'_Another vision?'_ Kagome thought, surprised, just as the images flew into her mind's eye. It was brief, but dark and detailed. The sheer pain and terror that soaked through the images in her mind made Kagome jerk back away from the blond boy with a shriek. She fell back off of him and scooted back as far as the tight space would allow. Kagome's breath was coming out in panting gasps, and her wide blue eyes regarded the confused golden orbs of the boy sitting across from her. Kagome placed a hand on her chest in an effort to slow her racing heartbeat and even out her rough breathing. Everyone was staring at her now, but Kagome didn't pay attention. Her mind was too busy thinking about what she had just seen and trying to figure out exactly what it was. She didn't look up even when one of the gypsies pointed out the carnival rising ahead of them. She didn't move until the truck stopped and everyone started getting off. Her mind made up, Kagome's arm shot out to take hold of the golden-eyed boy. She gripped his arm just as he was about to disembark onto the ground, he looked back at her, their eyes connecting.

"We need to talk," she told him, and her grip on his arm tightened minutely, "in private."

He was silent for a moment, observing her with a serious look in his golden eyes he nodded; Kagome felt the breath she didn't know she was holding slip through her lips. Jumping down beside him Kagome took his hand and, after glancing around quickly, led him away from the truck and the people heading into the carnival. She stopped just short of the trees bordering the carnival's location and released his hand. After chancing another quick look around to make sure no one was within hearing distance, Kagome took a deep breath to prepare herself.

"I don't mean to sound rude," he said, gazing in a curiously intent way at Kagome, "but what the hell happened on the truck back there?"

His voice sounded almost angry, but he wasn't yelling, and Kagome figured that was just the tone he took on when he wanted answers. Inuyasha was like that sometimes, too, Kagome remembered with a pang of hurt in her heart. "Well, first of all," Kagome said, placing her hands on her hips unconsciously out of habit, "we should probably introduce ourselves. I'm Kagome Higurashi." Removing one hand from her waist, Kagome held it out for the blonde in front of her to shake.

He regarded both Kagome and her hand silently for a moment, as if he were suspiciously wondering if she would shriek like before and try to run away from him. Kagome smiled welcomingly, hoping it would help, and he reached out to grasp her hand with his own, though Kagome was slightly confused at how cold and hard his hand was. "Edward Elric. I'd say it was nice to meet you, but I really don't think that fits our situation." He pulled his hand back from hers and crossed his arms in front of his chest, "So tell me, just what is our situation?"

Kagome took another look around her to make sure no one was looking their way, grabbed his hand, deciding that they were still too far out in the open, and pulled him into the tree line a few extra feet. She stopped after a moment and turned to face him again, releasing his hand.

"Is all this secrecy really necessary?" Edward asked curiously, leaning back against a tree with his arms crossed in front of him.

Kagome nodded. "This isn't something that needs to be overheard. In fact, I'm only telling you about it because of what I saw."

Edward blinked confusedly, leaning forward slightly. "What could you have seen? You were looking straight at me, so unless there's something about me that really freaks you out, I don't see what you're talking about."

He was both curious and confused now, Kagome could tell by the look in his eyes. Biting her lip, Kagome glanced away from him, looking off into the trees. Her eyes narrowed slightly in concentration as she forced herself to relive her vision, in order to accurately explain it to the person in front of her.

"Well, first of all," Kagome started as she looked back up into his eyes, as a show of honesty and trust. "What I saw was a vision. Probably something from your past. It didn't seem like it could be anything else."

His eyes grew wide, and before Kagome could stop him, he'd already started. "A vision? Well, then, what was this vision about?"

"I was getting to that," She told him, noticing the doubt and suspicion that had entered his eyes. "Now, will you please keep quiet until after I'm finished?"

He nodded staring at her quietly, Kagome sighed and wet her lips in preparation to repeat the content of her vision. "There were two people," Kagome said, narrowing her eyes thoughtfully at nothing in particular as the vision's images flowed back into the front of her mind, "Young boys, maybe around ten or eleven. They both had blond hair, and they looked just like younger versions of you and Alfons."

Edward's attention was single-mindedly on Kagome by this point, he perked up in curiosity at her words, but he stayed quiet just like she'd asked. "They were in a dark room," she continued, her eyes growing unfocused with the memory, "And there was a drawing of some kind on the floor. A circular design, I think."

When Kagome refocused her gaze onto Edward, she noticed how serious and intense his own was, and Kagome knew by the look in his eyes that he recognized what she was telling him. Judging from what she saw, Kagome wasn't sure yet if that was a good or a bad thing. "I've seen a lot of things the past few years," Kagome started, with a serious almost sad look in her blue eyes, "But nothing quite like this. There was a bright golden light, warm and powerful." Kagome's eyes narrowed in concentration at the memory, so much so that she didn't notice the slight widening of Edward's eyes, or the fact that she had unconsciously been trying to keep her hands busy by fiddling with the hem of her shirt. "But, then things changed, and the light turned dark. After that, it blurred a bit. My visions don't last long, but I do remember smoke, and screaming, and a lot of blood." Her hands stopped their odd fiddling, only to grip tightly onto the hem of her shirt even as she continued her recollection. "The last thing I saw before I came to was-" Kagome paused, unsure of how to describe the creature. "Well, I don't know what it was, but it looked demonic, inhuman."

Edward had been quiet at her request, but his mouth was hanging open slightly and his golden eyes were wide with shock as they had been nearly the entire time she'd been speaking. Kagome knew then, when her eyes connected with his, that he believed in her visions. "You really saw all that?" he asked quietly, stepping away from the tree he was leaning against, closer to where she herself was standing.

"Yes, I did," Kagome told him calmly, releasing her death grip on her shirt. "I didn't fully understand it, but I did see it, and I do know you were one of those little boys."

There was a moment between them then, a silence that was neither awkward nor companionable. It was just there, empty space as Edward seemed to withdraw into his thoughts. It was over far too soon for Kagome's tastes.

"What do you hope to gain from telling me about your vision?" Edward asked, a distrusting look in his eyes. "You knew, even before now, that what you saw was the past. Why did you want to risk telling me about your visions? What made you think you could trust me with that information?"

Kagome smiled softly at his words as she shrugged in response. "Honestly, I was curious," she told him, meeting his questioning gaze head on. "I was hoping that by speaking with you, I could learn more about what I saw."

"You were hoping I'd explain it to you," Edward told her, his serious gaze locked on hers, even as Kagome nodded in affirmation. She opened her mouth to speak, but he interrupted by holding up his hand in a gesture she knew meant for her to be quiet. "Well, I'm sorry," he said, and Kagome's eyes widened at what she knew was coming, "but I can't. If I explain that one moment of my past, I'd have to tell you just about everything, and I can't do that. Not to a person who's just curious about what she saw." He turned his back to her, toward the carnival, and Kagome opened her mouth to speak, but she was interrupted once again as he continued his monologue. "I know you're telling me the truth, and I believe your gift is real. I'll keep your secret, but I can't tell you mine. I'm sorry."

With his monologue finished, Edward began his trek back into the carnival, and a shocked speechless Kagome couldn't help but let him go.

**End Chapter**

Well, just let me know how you like the changes. When I was finishing up the chapter, I wasn't sure exactly how I wanted it to go, but this ending just came to me. Even with this change, things won't be so different from the direction they were going before. You'll see when the next chapter comes out. It too will be different from what was originally posted, but I've got a plan, I promise. Now, anyone who wants to be my beta, or wants to co-write this with me, just let me know. I'm looking for a co-writer for some of my stories, but if I can't find that, a beta will do.

Now, don't forget, Reviews are awesome and they're all the payment us fanfiction authors get. So, don't be shy! Tell me what you think!

Oh, and I was thinking of leaving a bit of writing advice at the bottom of each chapter. You know, grammar and stuff, or just things I think would help. So, here's this chapter's advice:

Don't be afraid to use contractions when you write. Just go with the flow, and write what feels natural to you. Don't be overly formal with your writing. Be casual, but be sure to use good grammar. Remember not to sacrifice the feel of a great story for perfect grammar. If a sentence fragment sounds and feels better, by all means, use a sentence fragment, and don't forget the contractions. People use contractions all the time, so you don't have to keep them out of your writing just because grammar dictates it. Besides, who the hell follows stupid rules just because they've been dictated?


	3. Chapter 02

**Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist **and **Inuyasha **are already property of other people, who I am very sad to say are not me, no matter the universe.

**Chapter Two: Aftermath**

_"We just witnessed a classic example of what I call misdirected rage. I believe the technical term is being an ass." –Shigure Sohma (Fruits Basket)_

She'd been in 1923 several months already, and still, Kagome had never once discovered the how and why for her predicament. She didn't know what had happened to trap her in an era that was simply in between the feudal era and her own, didn't know how she'd even _managed _to come out in a foreign country. Nonetheless, Kagome knew she was there for a reason. She'd been transported to a different time and country, somehow acquired the ability to see the past and future, and come across probably one of the only people in all of Germany to be involved with something supernatural, whether past or present. It was all too much to be just a coincidence.

She was missing something, and the information she did have didn't really add up, but Kagome knew there was something going on, and somehow, that Edward Elric was involved. Throughout her fresh new journey, Kagome hadn't had much luck figuring things out, but if ever there was a chance to start, Edward Elric had been just that, and Kagome blew it by letting him just walk away. Now, half-an-hour later, she was still searching the carnival looking for him, with no luck so far.

"Damnit, where is he?" Kagome asked herself, stomping her foot in irritation as, once again, her search for the missing blond came up empty.

Her eyes scanned over the crowd, once, twice, three times in search of the mysterious blond who'd still somehow managed to irritate her, despite the fact that he just wasn't there. Growling in frustration, Kagome stomped forward ignoring the stares she was receiving from the carnival-goers as she walked away.

_'Okay, Kagome, think,'_ Kagome told herself, glancing at faces as she passed by. _'Edward doesn't seem the type to play carnival games, so that narrows it down a lot.' _Kagome paused in her aimless wandering of the carnival grounds, groaning in a tired, slightly defeated way. _'But, I still don't know what's where. Even if I figured out where he's most likely to be, I wouldn't know which way to go to get there myself.'_

"What am I going to do?" Kagome asked aloud, glancing up at the clear blue sky as if it had all the answers. "Huh? What's that?" she murmured, raising her hand to shield her eyes from the sun and narrowing them to see the object more clearly. "It looks like a small rocket," she said aloud to herself, observing the white trail of smoke left behind as the old-fashioned rocket flew higher and higher into the air.

_'Considering what year it is,'_ Kagome observed, watching as the rocket began its descent back toward the earth, _'I guess that's one of the latest models.'_

_'I wonder?'_ Kagome asked herself, observing the sky for only a moment longer before taking off into a sprint. _'That's it! It just has to be it!'_

She paused for a moment in her run, her breathing slightly heavier as she looked around left and right. "Which way did it come from again?" Biting her lip, Kagome chose the path to the right, ignoring the stares and shouts coming from the people as she sprinted around them. It wasn't long, less than five minutes really, before she came upon an area filled with people, spectators mostly. There were a few farther off, but most of the group was watching something in the center, a closed off area where Kagome just knew the rocket had come from.

"Found it!" Kagome exclaimed in an excitedly relieved manner, pushing her way past the crowd to stand just behind the makeshift barrier that had been set up to keep the people a safe distance away. Inside, Kagome noticed, was a small group of people, most of which were blond. All it took, though, was one look and she knew Edward wasn't among them. She sighed in disappointment, hanging her head dejectedly.

_'Guess it's back to the drawing board,' _Kagome thought to herself, moving to turn around and walk back through the crowd. She paused when she noticed a familiar blonde shaking hands with a darker haired male in what looked like a military uniform. _'That looks like Alfons; he was on the truck with Edward. I wonder if he knows where he is.'_

Decision made, Kagome stepped over the rope and started toward the middle, where the small group of blondes were talking amongst themselves as the darker haired man turned to walk away through the crowd. "Alfons!" Kagome called, waving to him as he turned to look at her with a shocked look on his face.

"Oh, hello," he greeted with a smile, holding out his hand to shake hers in welcome. "It's Kagome, right?"

"Yeah," Kagome replied, nodding. "I was wondering if you've seen Edward? I've been looking for him, but I can't find him anywhere."

A brief flash of surprise sparked behind Alfons' blue eyes, but as Kagome watched, he shook it away and gave another friendly smile. "You just missed him, actually. He went back to the truck just a few minutes ago, said something about his neck being sore."

Kagome's eyes widened, her mouth falling open slightly in shock. _'Of all the places.'_ Kagome turned around immediately, deciding not to waste time as she headed straight for where the truck had been parked.

She didn't get far before Alfons spoke again. "Has something happened?" he asked, but she didn't bother turning around. She was in too much of a hurry to catch the elusive blonde before he got away again, but Kagome did take the time to wave back at Alfons.

"Thanks, Alfons!" she called, weaving into what was left of the crowd that watched at the edge of the rope blockage.

As she ran, Kagome noticed that the crowd hadn't thinned out any, especially judging from how many near-misses she'd had with several carnival-goers. She was all the more grateful when the truck came into view. It meant she was finally out of the crowd and she was finally almost done chasing down Edward Elric. When she saw him lying there in the back of the truck, Kagome was both extremely relieved at finding him and slightly confused at why his arm was outstretched toward the sky. But, that wasn't the point of her search, so Kagome pushed that thought aside and walked up to stand at the edge of the truck. Placing her hands on her hips, Kagome opened her mouth to confront him, but the blonde beat her to it.

"What do you want this time?" Edward asked rising to a sitting position so he could see her more clearly.

Kagome's eyes narrowed angrily at him for the slightly irritated tone of voice he'd taken on. "You didn't let me finish earlier," she told him, trying to keep her rising ire out of her own voice.

"What do you mean, I didn't let you finish?" he asked, and whether the move was unconscious or intentional, Edward's head tilted to the side in confusion, his wide eyes blinking and curious all at once.

It was so odd on him, so young and innocent a look that any frustration she'd felt faded and Kagome almost forgot what she'd come to say. Shaking her head to clear her mind, Kagome climbed up onto the back of the truck, knowing the chances of him following her to another more private place to continue their talk was slim at best. "So, is your neck really sore, or was that just an excuse you used to get away from the launch?" Kagome asked him, her own curiosity rising to the surface.

"What does that have to do with anything?" he asked, his voice taking on a slightly defensive tone as he watched her with wary, guarded curiosity.

"Just answer the question," Kagome said.

"Why? You didn't answer mine," he told her, and Kagome sighed.

"That would be a yes," Kagome murmured, more to herself than to him as she moved closer to where he was still sitting.

Edward blinked in confusion as she came up beside him. "What are you doing?" he asked, turning his head to follow her movements as she moved to kneel behind him.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Kagome asked, rolling her eyes slightly as she turned his head to face the front again. "I'm rubbing your neck for you," she said smiling as her hands fell upon the junction of his neck and shoulder.

He turned his head slightly towards her again, so that he could see her face out of the corner of his eyes. Kagome simply let him as the movement wasn't enough to disturb her work. He looked like he wanted to say something, and Kagome found her earlier assumption that his interaction with women was slim at best to be absolutely true, because she could see the blush on his face and the way he was so nervously trying to get the words he wanted to say out of his mouth. Kagome was used to nervousness, whether her own or someone else's, but someone being nervous simply because she was female, that she wasn't quite used to. It warmed her heart just a bit, though, to know he thought she was pretty enough for his awkwardness to shine through so brilliantly. If he didn't think her even just a bit pretty, he wouldn't be so nervous and awkward and fidgety, just because she was trying to help rub the soreness out of his neck. He was still watching her, though, and Kagome leaned closer to him so she could begin explaining her earlier statement, because it was perfectly clear to her that was what he wanted to know.

"During our talk earlier," Kagome started, making sure to speak loud enough that he could hear her but quiet enough that no one else would be able to, just in case, "I was planning on telling you that curiosity wasn't my only reason, but you interrupted me, and so, I never got the chance."

"You've got the chance now," he told her, turning his head forward again, and Kagome smiled in realization that he would actually listen this time around, that he wouldn't interrupt her again.

"From the moment I saw that vision, I knew there was something different about you, something I wouldn't be able to find anywhere else." Kagome sighed, pausing momentarily in her massaging to think. "The truth of the matter is, I've only had this gift for all of three months, and I have no idea why." Upon hearing her words, Edward turned around to face her completely with a curious look on his face, and Kagome let her hands fall away from his shoulders to rest in her lap. "I was taken from my home, my friends, and my family all in one fell swoop, and all I have to show for it, all I got in return, was something I never wanted!" A strangled sob escaped her throat, and somewhere through her increasingly blurry vision, Kagome noticed the way Edward's eyes were wide and shocked.

He reached out, and before she knew it, his arms were around her and she was wrapped tightly in his comforting embrace. Her tears fell free then, and with them, Kagome felt everything she'd been holding in for the past few months break loose. She felt her forced strength waning, to be replaced by a weak, helpless feeling that didn't disappear even with Edward's strong, warm hold on her. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Kagome shook her head, not looking up from the spot where she was buried in his chest. "I don't remember much," she told him. "One minute, I was with them in Japan, and then there was this bright light and so much pain, and the next thing I knew, I was waking up here in 1923 Germany!" Kagome started crying again, the tears she'd been trying to fight breaking through, and she felt Edward awkwardly rubbing her back and patting her head. He was trying so hard to comfort her though, and Kagome could tell even through her tears that crying women was not his forte. "I'm not even from this time period," she whispered, and she felt him stiffen in shock.

Kagome didn't look up, though; she couldn't even bring herself to move at the moment. Her thoughts were jumbled and blurry at best, and she felt exhaustion creeping up on her quicker than she could shake it off. He said something, but her senses were dulling and she couldn't hear it. She was so tired, and he was so warm, and before she knew it, she was lulled to sleep by his outdoorsy smell, a mixture of pine and grass and rain with just a hint of oil, coupled with the steadily beating rhythm of his heart.

**oOoOo**

Edward Elric had seen more than his fair share of dangerously abnormal things, what with Dante and the Homunculi, the Philosopher's Stone, as well as Truth and the Gate, but never in his life had he heard of time travel. "I'm not even from this time period,"she'd said, and even then, it'd shocked him to the core. Her words were still stuck in his head, flowing in and out of his ears and repeating over and over inside him in an endless pattern that just wouldn't let up. He'd gotten little to no sleep the night before, knowing the strange girl was only a few doors away, just down the hall. It was not knowing that got to him, the endless questions that funneled through his mind, most of which came from a rational, scientific perspective. There was one particular question in his mind that, no matter how he tried, wouldn't stop repeating itself.

"When the hell is she going to wake up?" Ed asked himself for the fifth time that morning. He'd been awake for hours already, and though the girl, Kagome, had been asleep for well over twelve hours already, she still slept. She had no injuries to speak of, and even Ed himself didn't sleep that long when he was perfectly fine. Ed tapped his fingers impatiently on the table, one right after another, again and again in an endless rhythm. He got tired of it soon enough. "Damnit, I can't wait any more!" Edward exclaimed to himself, standing abruptly from his seat.

His feet carried him down the hallway, and without knocking (she couldn't answer when she was asleep, and it was his room anyway) he pushed open the door. He'd barely taken two steps into the room before his legs froze and forced him to stop in his place. Ed blinked in surprise upon seeing Kagome sitting up in bed, wide awake and looking around the room with confused, curious eyes. "You're awake," he said, stepping further into the room just as her eyes flashed over to look at him.

"What happened?" she asked, flipping the cover back and swinging her legs over the side. "Where am I?"

"You're at the apartment I share with Alfons," he told her, grinning excitedly because, finally, she'd woken up. "I didn't know what else to do after you fell asleep on me like that."

At hearing his words, a blush formed on Kagome's cheeks and she looked away from him embarrassedly. "Yeah, um, I'm really sorry about that," she said, standing up and turning around to make up the bed, her cheeks still slightly pink.

"Don't worry about that," Ed told her, stepping forward to place a hand on her shoulder. She turned slightly to face him and he smiled. "Besides, aren't you hungry?"

Kagome's blush faded completely with his question, and she smiled. "Just a bit," she said nodding, and as if it knew what was coming, her stomach chose just then to give a very loud, very embarrassing growl.

Ed snickered lightly at her returning blush and jerked his thumb toward the door. "Well, come on then," he said, turning around to leave the room. "I'm sure we can find you something to eat."

**End Chapter**

"Well, first of all," Kagome said, placing her hands on her hips unconsciously out of habit**, "We **should probably introduce ourselves. I'm Kagome Higurashi."

My "advice" for this chapter is just pointing out a mistake I made in the last chapter. It's a small mistake, nothing serious, but from what I remember, I did do it a little bit wrong. The bolded section above is where in the sentence I made the mistake. See, when you write dialogue, and then you pause it to write down what the character is doing without finishing the sentence they were saying, and then you go back to finish the sentence, you don't capitalize the first word right at the continuance point. The comma right before the dialogue continues is supposed to be there as well, instead of a period, which you would normally put in that position. The correct version of that sentence is below.

"Well, first of all," Kagome said, placing her hands on her hips unconsciously out of habit, "we should probably introduce ourselves. I'm Kagome Higurashi."

See? I admit, it's not much of an error, but really, every little bit counts, huh? So, if there's anything you have trouble with in terms of anything to do with (fanfiction) story writing, ask about it in a review and I'll try to mention it in one of the next few advice sections. Oh, and just out of curiosity, I want to ask you guys something. Once Ed hears she's from the future (at the moment, he only knows 1923 isn't her original time period), what do you think he'll ask her about her world, provided she could tell him whatever he wanted to know about it? What do you think he'd find most interesting about her time period if he ever visited, scientifically or otherwise? What do you think he'd do if given the chance to visit her time? If he could watch any movie (not considering language barriers), which ones do you think would be his favorite/ least favorite? I would love to hear your opinion on anything related to Ed and Kagome's time. For some reason, I keep comparing him in her time to a kid in a candy store who's just been told to have at it, whatever he wants, free of charge. (Just imagining that scene makes me want to laugh. It kind of reminds me of that one episode where Kagome took Inuyasha shopping with her and he got all excited when they passed a bakery.) Personally, I think he'd look up more about science than anything else, but I still can't think of the parts of science he'd like most.


End file.
